See What Operators Can’t Tell You: The Power of CDR Analytics

How Synaptique Helps Regulators Turn Raw Traffic Data Into Actionable Insights

For telecom regulators, ensuring network performance, service quality, and compliance is becoming increasingly complex. With billions of daily interactions across voice, SMS, and data services, only a data-driven approach can provide the visibility needed to supervise operators effectively.

At the heart of this visibility lies Call Detail Record (CDR) analytics, a foundation of Synaptique’s data monitoring platforms. CDR analytics enables authorities to understand what is happening inside national telecom networks in real time, detect anomalies, and enforce transparent, fair regulation.

What Is CDR Analytics?

Call Detail Records (CDRs) are detailed logs generated every time a telecom event occurs ,a call, an SMS, or a data session. Each CDR contains essential information such as:

• caller and receiver numbers
• call duration and timestamps
• network nodes involved
• type of service (voice/SMS/data)
• charging and routing details

At Synaptique, CDR analytics transforms these raw logs into clear, contextual insights regulators can act upon, from fraud alerts to QoS metrics and tax verification.

Key Benefits of CDR Analytics for Regulators

1. Real-Time Service Quality Monitoring

With CDR insights, regulators can monitor network performance as it happens, not days or weeks later.

CDR analytics helps identify:

• regional call drops
• congestion on specific network elements
• failed call setups
• regional service outages

Example: Detecting sudden call-drop spikes in a province and notifying the operator to intervene immediately.

2. Powerful Fraud Detection & Prevention

CDR analytics is one of the most effective tools to fight telecom fraud, including:

• SIMBox / fraudulent international bypass
• Wangiri attacks
• SIM hijacking
• suspicious prepaid SIM activity

Patterns such as repeated short international calls or abnormal traffic bursts can be flagged instantly.

Example: Identifying abnormal SMS bursts from a single source indicating illicit A2P routing.

3. Stronger Revenue Assurance

Regulators rely on CDR analytics to verify that operators declare traffic and revenues accurately.

CDR data helps detect:

• undeclared international traffic
• misreported prepaid balances
• incorrect billing or charging configurations
• revenue leakages in core and IN layers

Example: Cross-checking MSC traffic vs. IN billable events to identify missing revenues.

4. Quality of Service (QoS) Enforcement

CDRs provide the most reliable representation of the user experience. Regulators can monitor:

• call setup success rates
• average call duration
• congestion ratios
• dropped call rates

This enables transparent enforcement of QoS obligations and fair competition.

5. Network Optimization & Capacity Insights

By understanding how and when users consume services, regulators gain a clear picture of national traffic behavior:

• peak usage hours
• heavily loaded cells or regions
• evolution of voice, SMS, and data traffic over time

These insights help guide infrastructure investments, spectrum management, and universal service decisions.

Best Practices for Effective CDR Analytics

To maximize value, regulators should adopt:

• Comprehensive CDR Collection: Collect data from all core elements (MSC, IN, SMS-C, GGSN/SGSN, charging systems).
• Advanced Analytics & AI Tools: Use automated engines capable of processing massive volumes and detecting anomalies instantly.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Shift from manual, quarterly audits to live dashboards and automated alerts.
• Collaboration with Operators: Define standardized reporting formats and ensure consistent, transparent data exchange.

Why CDR Analytics Is at the Heart of Synaptique’s Solutions

At Synaptique, CDR analytics is the foundation of all our regulatory monitoring systems.
Our unified data engine powers:

• fraud detection (SIMBox, Wangiri, A2P leakage)
• revenue assurance & tax verification
• QoS and network performance monitoring
• interconnection audits
• mobile money anti-fraud

By relying on real, raw traffic data rather than operator declarations alone, Synaptique provides independent oversight and a single source of truth for regulators.

Our platforms consolidate data across all operators, analyze it in real time, and deliver actionable and transparent insights for national decision-making.

Conclusion

CDR analytics is one of the most powerful tools available to telecom regulators. When combined with automation and real-time intelligence, it enables:

• better service quality
• reduced fraud
• secured tax revenues
• transparent operator compliance
• improved regulatory effectiveness

With Synaptique’s advanced monitoring solutions, regulators can move from reactive audits to proactive, data-driven supervision, ensuring a fair, secure, and high-quality telecom ecosystem for all.